UTAH TECH UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWS SOURCE | October 05, 2025

Month: April 2024

OPINION | SUU’s lockdown was a reminder to enhance campus safety procedures

by Madisyn BishopPosted on

Southern Utah University went on lockdown last Thursday due to an active shooter threat. SUU was in lockdown for three hours, which got me thinking about safety on our campus.

There are many current safety procedures in place to keep our campus safe, but these procedures need to be updated often, and many students don’t know where to find them.

While our campus has not had any recent threats, I still worry that something may happen on campus. I also fear a situation where I wouldn’t know what to do if something did happen.

SUU’s lockdown scared a lot of students, including myself. The whole morning, my Instagram page was covered in posts updating what was happening at SUU.

While I have full trust in our campus police, I feel like there’s still a lot of work to do to keep students safe.

Wes LiCalzi, Utah Tech’s interim chief of police, has been devoted to maintaining a safe campus for students. Recently, they set up a safe place for students to buy and sell things online.

“If you’re meeting someone you aren’t sure of, I want this to be a place where students can come and park or come in the lobby and meet them,” LiCalzi said. “Everyone’s safety is paramount in my mind.”

This is a really big step to ensure students stay safe, and I hope more things like this keep coming.

The meeting spot was initially set up so that students wouldn’t have to give somebody their address if they bought something from Facebook Marketplace or even meet somebody they met online for a date. This way, students can stay near the officers on campus and meet where multiple cameras can record.

Another change that should be made is an active shooter drill. We have an emergency plan for every type of emergency, including a map; however, the map is really hard to read and needs an update.

The one place that I don’t necessarily feel safe, however, is in the Holland building. It’s not because it’s an unsafe building, but because every room is made of glass. I constantly wonder what would happen if we were in a lockdown.

Recently, high schools around St. George have had quite a few active shooter threats similar to SUU’s.

Snow Canyon High School had quite a few active shooter threats during the fall semester, and a student was arrested recently for calling in the hoaxes.

Hurricane High School had an active shooter threat April 1 serious enough that multiple police departments responded, including UTPD. It seems like these threats have become a trend in our community, making me fear that our school could be next.

Because of these threats, LiCalzi said he hopes to create more safety drills for students in the event of an active shooter.

I feel safe on campus knowing that the police department is dedicated to our safety and is constantly changing and learning new ways to stay safe.

Staying vigilant and prepared for an emergency can keep students safe. LiCalzi said even small incidents should be reported because you never know if it’s related to a bigger issue.

Another way to keep campus safe is through communication. Currently, the only way to contact UTPD officers is through dispatch, and many students don’t feel comfortable with that.

”I want people to feel like this is a home, not a castle,” LiCalzi said. “If they feel like something is weird, even if there isn’t necessarily a reason or if they just need somebody to walk them to their car, I want them to feel like they can call us.”

LiCalzi said he is currently working on a messaging service that may connect to the myUT app. He also hopes that this could be a way for students to easily message and get an officer to them faster in non-emergencies.

This is a great addition to safety on campus. It could allow students to feel more comfortable reaching out to the police, and having it right on our phones would make it much easier to stay safe.

The current changes to campus safety are a safe meeting place and a messaging service. LiCalzi said he has more ideas in the works, and I’m really curious to see what those will be.

With these changes, students including myself, could feel a little safer on campus knowing that there are multiple actions in place to prevent lockdowns that schools around us have had.

Aside from these, I do feel safe on campus. I feel confident that the police department will continue to make changes that keep us safe.

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Luau celebration kicks off Pacific Islander Heritage Month with food, culture, dancing

by Alyssa BaylesPosted on

Two burning Utah Tech University signs rest up front, bright colors are hung on the stage and leis are being handed out as community members and Utah Tech students gather for a luau.

To celebrate Pacific Islander Heritage Month, the Utah Tech Pasefika Student Union and Utah Tech Student Association partnered together to host an evening full of performances, food and culture April 17.

Pacific Islander Heritage Month begins in May, but since we will not be in session, the event was held early. On the website, this month is described as “paying tribute to the generations of Asian and Pacific Islanders who have enriched America’s history and are instrumental in its future success.”

“These events are really eye-opening to learn about a different culture,” Zamets, a junior sociology major from Riverside, California, said.

The night began with the handing out of leis as people entered through the gates. A lei is any series of objects strung together as a symbol of love, friendship, celebration, honor or greeting.

This was a way to welcome students and community members to the luau, while also sharing a little piece of education. Additionally, there was an informational table on traditional Polynesian leis available.

Food was then served through catering of Island Grinds to the guests as they waited for the performances to begin. Along with the catering, a drink bar was open where flavored mocktails were served with festive names like Honolulu and Aloha.

Another student, Saige Murray, a freshman radiography major from Brigham City, has been to luaus before, which inspired her to come to this event.

“They [luaus] are super fun and it’s really cool to see the dancers,” Murray said. “It’s fun seeing different parts of a culture and then trying different types of food.”

She said she also enjoys these events because she can meet new people and see a whole different side of campus she never knew. On top of receiving leis and enjoying food, multiple performances occurred throughout the night by PSU to represent culture through song and dance.

Annabelle Talivaa is a member of PSU and was one of the dancers in the Samoan Siva performance. During the performance, Talivaa and her fellow dancers were dressed in bright colors to represent their culture.

“It’s been a lot of hours and hours of practicing to make sure we’re lining up and in sync together,” Talivaa said.

The final performance of the night was a Tau’olunga, which is where one girl dances in a semi-circle of friends, fellow performers and family members. Different chants and applause were shouted as they encouraged her on for the closing number. For Talivaa, this was her favorite part of the evening.

Following this performance, the dance floor opened and audience members joined the stage to dance the evening away.

Talivaa said: “It was nice to see my family come out and support us. In fact, other people too…help[ed] support and represent my culture.”

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How to beat loneliness, make the most of your time at Utah Tech while staying for the summer

by Laura McClurePosted on

3… 2… 1… Summer!

Summer is right around the corner and as some students leave to go home for those few months, others are staying. With Utah Tech University not having as many students here for the summer participating in events or clubs, it can be hard to find things to do as well as meet people. 

College can be a lonely time for students who are staying in town alone, but this doesn’t always have to be the case. Summer is a chance for those students staying on or around campus to get to know one another and find things to do. 

Seth Gubler, director of housing and resident life, said, “Don’t underestimate the power of spontaneity and inviting others to do something fun on campus or to enjoy the nearby lakes, hiking trails, parks and other things, at the spur of the moment.”

Many students are in the same position as each other with wanting friends or being nervous or scared to ask someone to hang out or go with them to an activity. Even asking someone to join to get lunch one day can build not only the bond students have with that other individual but can build students’ social skills. 

The Human Performance Center will be open throughout the summer to students who are staying. The building has many amenities such as a full-size swimming pool, a rock climbing wall and a large two-story gym that has numerous machines. Outside the HPC, there are pickleball courts and sand volleyball courts.

Isabelle Peck, the events assistant at Utah Tech, said, “Sometimes as students, we get caught up in the fast pace of the semester and don’t take as much time to learn new things that will enrich our happiness… whatever brings you joy and excitement that has nothing to do with checking it off the class course list, then do it!”

Even if students are trying to stay busy with socializing and jobs for the summer, it can still get lonely. Making sure to stay in contact with friends and family through social media, FaceTime or texting can make a big difference with both using social skills as well as helping with loneliness.

Another thing to do for the summer would be to get a job. Whether students are taking the summer off from classes or are taking a few credits, summer is a chance to earn money. There are job opportunities off campus, but even on campus, there are jobs available. If students go onto Handshake, they can look up what places on campus are hiring for the summer.

The HPC has jobs for students like helping out at the front desk or helping with summer camps for kids. Gubler said the Campus View Suites will also offer resident assistant positions for keeping an eye on the suites during the summer as well as making plans for small gatherings and for bigger events for the school year. Other buildings around campus also offer positions in custodial, food and more.

Brooke Ulrich, director of university events and promotions, said at Utah Tech, the University Marketing and Communication department has interns who work throughout the summer. Internships are a way for students to get real-world experience that correlates with their major, allowing them to have more to show on their resumes for post-graduation jobs. 

If students choose, summer can be a time full of working, making friends and having experiences. Taking the time to find what students enjoy as well as what their priorities are can make staying on and around campus for the summer a much better experience.

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Goodbye EBSCO, hello ProQuest Central

by Laura McClurePosted on

Elton B. Stephens Company is a collection of nearly 400 databases that a majority of students use in order to find credible information and sources for assignments and papers. Nearly two-thirds of college students use this source every year. 

This company has databases that range from e-books to e-journals. In 2018, about 650,000 students in Utah were unable to access this library database for almost a month. The reasoning behind this was from a group of parents who said the library was able to show unsuitable content to their children. 

After that time period of not being able to access this platform, the site was back up and running with adjustments on the keywords and content, again limiting some of those 400 databases. The rising worry is that students see and have access to content about subjects that are deemed unsuitable for viewers. Utah Tech University and other schools in Utah will lose access to EBSCO starting July 1. 

Emma Lanners, assistant librarian for open educational resources and graduate support, said she wants students to know that it will only be a select few of the databases that will be revoked.

Many of the state institutions are able to be renewed by a state contract, including Utah Tech. This time around with the renewal, it was unaffordable and unsustainable.

John Burns, associate librarian for reference and electronic resources, said the university will be going with a different company.

Burns said: “While we will lose some EBSCO databases for student research, the state instead is going with a competitor to EBSCO. We will have access to a database suite product called ProQuest Central.”

While EBSCO has more databases to access, ProQuest searches are more limited to a faster and quicker search such as options like relevance, oldest first or most recent first, oftentimes making the search faster. 

ProQuest also provides more primary source material, giving more archival and manuscript material. 

Databases are important to students and instructors because they can give first-hand, factual and reliable material to use. Access to these materials is always available, therefore giving unlimited access to research and project production while making it timely. With platforms like these two examples, having as many primary and secondary source materials makes doing research reliable and trustworthy. 

Caleb Ames, librarian and head of technical services, said once he is told, he will update the webpage to the databases to switch over any databases that have expired to their replacements from ProQuest. 

Utah Tech’s library staff is hoping for a seamless transition for these databases in the coming months, and hope it will be resourceful for students and staff in the coming years.

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Utah Tech’s annual Great Race

by Anna CaseyPosted on
Students and community come together to compete in, The Great Race, Utah Tech’s largest relay race. Find out more about this event and who took home first place this year. Anna Casey | Sun News Daily

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Car Club at Utah Tech aspires to unite community with passion for cars

by Laura McClurePosted on

The roar of engines and the cheers of encouragement from others sound out through the parking lot. 

Once a month in the Karl Brooks Field parking lot at Utah Tech University, the Car Cub meets up to show off cars worth millions of dollars. Southern Utah has a reputation for having a car culture.

Meg Dalley, a sophomore digital design major from St. George and president of the Car Club, said she wanted to bring that culture right to Utah Tech in the hopes of broadening those involved.

Dalley said the inspiration came from her boyfriend’s family and their shop called German Auto & Exotics. Dalley also gets support from Rips Rallies who helps the community grow by showing up to the car shows.

Karson Ray, a senior healthcare administration major from St. George and vice president of the club, said: “We have all kinds of cars, trucks and motorcycles. They range from affordable to exotic. Our first meet had about $1.7 million worth of cars and our second meet had about $2.3 million with several more high-end exotics.”

The shows are not limited to just students. Community members are invited to show up as well. The first show on Feb. 3 had around 60 cars and 120 people. The second show increased to about 80 cars and 150 people. It is not a requirement to bring a car in order to enjoy the show.

Nicholas Fajardo, a senior history education major from St. George, said from the two meets he has been to, there has been a lot of community and alumni that participate, not just students. 

Anyone can show up with any car or vehicle they want to show off. There is a large variety of cars that have been featured, such as:

Ray said: “We have a lot of members that are really, really into tuning and customization, and some that are purists and love the car the way it was engineered. We have a wide variety of cars from American muscle to imports.”

The Car Club hopes to expand things to a larger level in order to do a more formal car show. They have collaborated with Birds Aren’t Real to bring more togetherness and school spirit. So, the hope is to collaborate with the events and promotions office at University Marketing and Communications and to do a car show for the community.

Dalley said: “I’m so happy that people are loving this. It makes me want to take the club to the next level. I would love to have merch and more sophisticated meets or car shows on campus.”

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A day in the life of a department chair

by Joseph Avila HernandezPosted on
Department chairs do a lot of for the university and sometimes don’t get the credit they deserve. So what’s a day of a department chair like? Joseph Avila | Sun News Daily

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Day of Giving: supporting students’ needs

by Nicole RogersPosted on

Day of Giving is a time for everyone to come together and donate money to help students in need.

This is the fifth annual year of Day of Giving as the first one was hosted in 2019. Days of Giving are not uncommon on most college campuses. Different colleges do them for different reasons.

Del Beatty, vice president of student affairs, said for as long as he’s worked at Utah Tech University, there has been a day of giving.

“The motivation for everything we do is to help students,” Beatty said. “I mean that’s just the bottom line.”

Day of Giving at Utah Tech was started to raise scholarship money for students and runs under the development office. So far, $37,868 has been donated out of their goal of $50,000.

Director of Development Lance Brown said the reason they decided to focus on one specific day was to try and get as many people as possible to participate and experience the fulfillment and joy that comes from giving.

“It’s kind of fun to see how much good you can do when a lot of people do a little bit,” Brown said. 

With Day of Giving, you can contribute to specific areas like the struggling student fund. This fund is managed by the Dean of Students, Ali Threet, and makes it possible for her to contribute money to students.

Beatty said when he was the dean of students, he used a portion of the money to buy a plane ticket for a student who needed to go home for a funeral service. 

People can donate to this, to a specific scholarship, or if they would like to support an athletic team, they can. 

“Well, obviously, the nice thing that I personally like about it is because it shows that you not only believe in the institution, but you believe in supporting our students,” Beatty said.

It’s structured so people can pick the amount of money they want to donate to the funds. Beatty said the university has a lot of students who are homeless. So, without the struggling student fund, the university would not be able to help those students. 

Kristel Johnson, the executive assistant for student affairs, said she graduated from Utah Tech and has been a recipient of the scholarship funds. These assisted her in getting her bachelor’s degree.

Johnson said: “It made the world of a difference for myself and my family, and I want to continue to participate in it and give back. And so, I give what I can, but I think it’s very important because I know how it changed my life.”

She also said she wants to support students who are bettering themselves and trying to set themselves up for their future careers. 

“I feel how important it is to support the students and just to give something,” Johnson said. “If there’s, you know, even a small amount, it’s when all of us come together and give what we can that we can make the biggest impact.”

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